Attachment for dental mirrors.



Patented 0st; I0, I899.

W. I. BBIGHAM.

ATTACHMENT FOR DENTAL MIRRORS.

(Applicltion filed Jul. 24, 1899.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VALTER I. BRIGI-IAM, OF SOUTH FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

ATTACHMENT FOR DENTAL MIRRORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,638, dated October 10, 1899. Application filed January 24, 1899. .Serial No. 703,283. llfl model-l To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER I. BRIGHAM, of South Framiugham, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Attachments for Dental Mirrors, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

In the operations of dental surgery it is necessary to make constant use of the dental or mouth mirror, and the presence of the mirror is the source of frequent inconvenience to the operator by reason of its interference with other equally necessary instruments. At no time is-this interference more noticeable and annoying than at the time of applying the filling material to the cavity before the material has been fixed in place by the initial thrusts of the setting instruments.

Accordingly the object of my present invention is to provide meanswhereby the gold .or other dental material may be held in place by the mirror without the necessity for using a se arate instrument. Preferably this means for holding the gold or other dental materialis combined with the mirror in the shape of an attachment which for convenience is preferably adjustable in desired position upon the mirror and capable of ready attachmentthereto and removal therefrom, although these features of capability for adjustment, attachment, and removal are not to be considered as essential features of my invention inasmuch as I believe myself to be the first to provide a dental mirror with means for holding gold or other dental material to opcrate substantially in the manner and for the purpose hereinafter set forth, nor do I limit myself to the holding of the filling material in the particular dental operation above suggested; but I contemplate the utilization of my device in any field for which it is particularly adapted by reason of the construction constituting my'invention, the various features of which will be fully illustrated and described in the drawings and set forth in the claims. 7

In the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates in perspective a dental or mouth mirror provided with an attachment in the construction of whichmyinventionhasbeenembodied. Fig.

. P, formed, preferably 7 2 is a plan view of the same looking toward the back of the mirror. Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the attachment shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but removed from the mirror.

In the embodiment of my invention'selected as a convenient form for illustration and description the means for holding the gold or other dental material is shown as a prong preferably, of flexible metal and pointed, as at p, to facilitate its engagement with the pellet D of gold, amalgam, cotton, or other filling or dental material. For the attachment of this device to the mirror any suitable means may be employed, and I have shown one form of such securing means particularly adapted for use when the mirror takes the form illustrated at A,'which designates a dental mouth-mirror of well-known construction. In the instance illustrated the attachingmeans comprises a clamp having arms 6 b, with ends 19 5 turned over in such a manner as to adapt them to engage the edge a of the mirror without interfering with the effective reflecting area of the latter. For convenience in removal of the gold-holding means inthis instance the clamp is shown as having a socket Z), into which the prong P is adapted to enter, as at .its end 19.

For further convenience, providing for the removal from the mirror of the entire attachment, the latter may have one or more of its arms movable, and in this instance the arm 1) is shown as thus movable, being illustrated as having its inner end 5 passing through an aperture 5 in the body portion 8 of the clamp, the end If being bent over to insure retention of the member I) in connected relation with the rest of the clamp. The manner of applying my device when it takes the form illustrated will be readily un-- which shows derstood by reference to Fig. 2, in dotted-line position the movable arm I? swung'around with relationto the rest of the clamp in such position as to permit the application of the attachment to the mirror or its removal therefrom.

All that is necessary to secure the attachment is to move the arm b from its dotted-,

line' position to its full-line position, when the bent-over portions 17 1i of the arms will be drawn into engagement with the periphery of the mirror and the attachment thereby secured to the same, and it will be obvious that the position of the holding means P at the edge of the mirror may be varied as desired by changing the angular position of the clamp with relation to the handle a of the mirror. The construction illustrated facilitates this removal by reason of the length of the arm I), which is slightly greater than the radius of the mirror, so that when swung from the full-line position b to the dotted-line position its turned-over portion will clear the edge of the mirror. It may be desirable to provide for the ad j ustment of the clamp to mirrors of different sizes, and this may be accomplished, if desired, by providing an extra aperture in the clamp, as at 19 or by taking up on the inner end of the clamp b or in any other convenient and'suitable manner. Further adjustment may be provided for, as already indicated, by bending the prong P, When the latter is made of flexible material, into desired position.

As already suggested, my novel device will be of great advantage for the purpose of holding gold or other filling material in the cavity until the initial thrusts shall have fixed it in place, making possible the accomplishment of this operation with the utmost convenience to the operator, who can follow its course in the mirror and who is unhampered by the necessity for using a separate instrument. It will be understood, however, that I do not limit myself to the use of the device for this particular operation, nor do I limit myself to making it of any particular metal or other material, nor of the flexible and removable character described, nor in general other than as set forth in the claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a dental mirror, of means for holding gold or other dental filling material.

2. The combination with a dental mirror, of a prong for holding gold or other dental material.

3. The combination with a dental mirror, of a device for holding gold or other dental material, and means to attach said device removably to said mirror.

4. The combination with a dental mirror,

of a universally-adjustable prong, to operate substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

5. An attachment for dental'mirrors; said attachment comprising a device for holding gold or other dental material, and supporting means for said device; said supporting means being adapted to be secured in adjusted position upon said mirror.

6. An attachment for dental mirrors, comprising a clamp provided with a movable arm adapted to engage said mirror to secure said clamp in position thereon, and to be moved to release said clamp.

7. An attachment for dental mirrors comprising a clamp provided with'a movable arm adapted to engage said mirror to secure said clamp in position thereon, and to be moved to release said clamp; a device for holding gold or other dental material; and means to permit said device to be secured removably to said clam'p.

8. An attachment for dental mirrors; said attachment comprising a clamp having a plurality of arms to engage said mirror and a socket to receive a device for holding gold or other dental material; and a device of the class described adapted to enter said socket removably and be supported therein.-

9. An attachment of the class described; said attachment comprising a clamp having a plurality of fastening-arms, one of which is movable, and a body portion provided with a socket; and a flexible prong adapted to'enter said socket removably, and be sustained by said clamp, substantially as described.

10. In an attachment of the class described; a clamp having a body B with fixed clamping-arms b, a movable arm I), and a socket b; and a flexible prong P adapted to enter said socket.

11. An attachment of the class described for dental mirrors; said attachment comprising a clamp having means to engage said mirror to secure said clamp thereto',and means by which said clamp may be adjusted for attachment to different sizes of mirrors.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

YVALTER I. BRIGHAM.

IVitnesses:

ALEXANDER O. PROUDFIT, FREDERICK L. EMERY. 

